Flashlight for roadside emergency

Many times I have had to work on my car, a friends car or stop to help someone at night. Even with the hazards on, someone will almost always side swipe or nearly rear end the car.

I was looking for something with some emergency strobe. I was thinking of getting a Inova 24/7 to use the emergency strobe feature on there. Along with some LED road flares, but I hear the LED flares are useless during daytime.

Is the Inova 24/7 worth getting? I have been reading many thread and reviews. I also liked the fact I can run it on "dead" batteries.

IcantC said:

Many times I have had to work on my car, a friends car or stop to help someone at night. Even with the hazards on, someone will almost always side swipe or nearly rear end the car.

I was looking for something with some emergency strobe. I was thinking of getting a Inova 24/7 to use the emergency strobe feature on there. Along with some LED road flares, but I hear the LED flares are useless during daytime.

Is the Inova 24/7 worth getting? I have been reading many thread and reviews. I also liked the fact I can run it on "dead" batteries.

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Well, considering that my daily driver has warning strobes on it and is rather large, my truck has nearly been hit a few times. So that's no guarantee either.

I like the 24/7 myself. It's a good light, and I keep one in my wife's truck all the time.

-Steve

You might also consider the Glo-Toob Lithium in red and/or amber. Most Fenix & Photon lights have strobe features.

As Beastmaster said, having a strobing/blinking light is no guarantee that your car won't get hit. In additon to the light, getting a reflective vest might be worth the investment:

1.) http://www.511tactical.com/index.asp?dept=6&number=49001

2.) http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/t...ctx=safety vest&backto=/agcatalog/results.tam This one even has flashing LEDs on it :thumbsup:. (If this link doesn't work, goto: www.actiongear.com and search for "safety vest". It should be at the bottom of the first page)

For roadside emergencies, I typically have (in addition to a bright incan and a long running led light) a headlamp for working on the car and good old fashioned road flares to warn other drivers.

I would not exit my car on a very busy roadway. I'd stay inside with my seat belt fastened and call an emergency number for help. Local safety agencies usually patrol urban expressways and their trucks protect you from traffic when they pull in behind you.

On less traveled roads I don't think an Inova 24/7 would help much at night. It just is not a real ATTENTION GRABBER. It is better than nothing though. I carry incendiary flares in my trunk because they work well day or night.

Try searching the AUTOMOTIVE forum here on CPF. There are some threads on this very topic. I'm skeptical of LED flares in bright daylight.

Thanks for the input guys. Yes I have seen fully marked and lit cars get hit by people. Will just pick up some more old fashioned flares and perhaps the 24/7.

Conventional flares are a must because most people know what they are and what they mean. A blinking light will get their attention, but it might not create the response you want. A light for emergencies is still a really good idea. Do you want this to just be a beacon, or useable as a flashlight?

KeyGrip said:

Conventional flares are a must because most people know what they are and what they mean. A blinking light will get their attention, but it might not create the response you want. A light for emergencies is still a really good idea. Do you want this to just be a beacon, or useable as a flashlight?

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Hmm good thinking. I was adding this as an add on to flares for incremental weather when visibility is limited. I was looking to buy a light to use my "dead" SF primaries in. It was between a red Inova X5 or the Inova 24/7. I figured the 24/7 might be of better use to me, than just a red light(the X5). I am looking around on adding on a headlamp for working on the car.

+1 to getting a headlamp. If you're going to get a strobe, I'd recommend a stand alone strobe unit versus a light that has a strobe. Sorry I don't have any specific recommendations but I've recently been thinking of doing the same.

In the meantime, the few times I've pulled over on the highway, I've had as much vehicle light on as possible. High beams, hazard lights, and also the interior lights.

I'm not a professional driver but I have an Inova 24/7 in each of our family cars. Aside from its multi-colour strobe modes the magnetic base device is a great plus as it lets you "stick" the 24/7 onto the most appropiate part of the vehicle body (including the roof). I find the extra elevation increases visibility impact. The 123 primar cells last for years even in a hot glove box and if you must you can also use it as a "flashlight" for roadside repairs "stuck" inside the engine bay or under a wheel arch.

Hello IcantC,

I just picked up some PowerFlare's for roadside emergencies. I have been trying them out under different lighting conditions. At night, they work very well. In cloud cover they also are very visible. In bright sunlight, they are supposed to be visible at around 1000 feet. At that distance you do notice the blinking LED, but you can't see any of the patterns. The housing adds to the visibility during the day.

I have set them out alongside the road and in every case people have slowed down to see what was going on.

Through much "trial and error" and asking the opinions of many people, I have determined that the revolving pattern is the most noticeable with the PowerFlare. The other patterns are visible, but the rotating pattern seems to get the most attention.

I will also add that the one with the red LED's is more visible than the one with the amber LED's. I have both and in high levels of ambient light, the amber LED's fade out quicker than the red LED's do. At night, it's a toss up.

My wife had a chance to use them in an actual emergency. We had a storm that left some ice on the roads. Someone tried to stop at the intersection near our house, and slid into the ditch. Their car was sticking out into a traffic lane, but they shut off all of their lights. We are not sure why they did this, but my wife brought several PowerFlares over and helped set them up. A few cars went by and appropriately slowed down, and steered clear of the car in the ditch.

The tow truck driver was impressed...

Tom

If it is legal in your community consider a 55 watt amber rotator style warning beacon. Just plug it into the lighter and magnetically mount it on the roof when needed. Motorists generally give you a wider berth with that type of product. It is something they recognize and understand.

I use one for the exact purpose you are describing, and I have had Pennsylvania State Police stop to make sure we did not need any assistance and they were fine with the use of the beacon. Again, your local area may be different so ask first. Rotators will use more power, but they highly effective in daylight and are much better in daylight than 99% of the strobes. You can pick up a very good single rotator for about $75 shipped. If you go with something cheap you will be disappointed.

There are also high powered LED products available, but they will suck your wallet dry. The rotator is by far the most effective (physically) and from a cost-benefit perspective.

Just be sure to stick with amber to avoid any conflict with fire, police, or emergency management.

Even if its not legal I would use one. Your personal safety should not be superceded by the law.

BTW I hear drunks are attracted to lights. So be careful.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned buying some traffic cones. The local breakdown vans always use these when fixing a car on a busy road.

Standard road flares... affordable, DAMN bright, universal sign.

Flares and (not or) DOT triangles are all I use. Set them up well behind the vehicle so oncoming traffic can have no excuse. I'm talking many yards, not just a few feet. Remember that a car moving at 65 covers a lot of ground in just one second and reaction time for an attentive and sober driver (and when was the last time you saw a driver that was both?) is pretty darned close to that one second.

Never turn your back on oncoming traffic.

Stay in the car and in your seat belts.

If you are outside of the car, get as far away on the drivers' left side as possible.

Why do I do these things and not use flashlights or strobes? A friend of mine was on his first week on road patrol as a deputy and had stopped with his training partner to give assistance to two women who were at the scene of a car that had slid off the road on icy pavement. They had their light bar and rear warning lights on.

Someone still failed to slow enough and went off. The training officer was clipped and very slightly injured as he pushed my friend out of the way. The women died.

Drivers will only avoid hitting you if they fear damage to their vehicle ... the best light for that is a barricade light, available online for under $15:



http://www.brandonsafetylights.com/batterypowered.html

Recently near me 4 people were killed and 1 injured while retrieving a broken-down car that was well off the road on a straight section of a new well-engineered bypass during the middle of the day in good weather with a roll-back truck ready to load the car!
The driver couldn't explain why they lost control and hit the whole assembly...
I carry a headlight in the car and a Zebralight H50 in my jacket, plus a Hyperion just for the strobing feature as well as either an Olight T10 or a NovaTac 120e. The NovaTac is really a slow locator beacon though...
The road I drive alot at night has lots of curves and very little shoulder, and lots of deer so I always hope for no car trouble but I imagine it will catch up with me at some point.

I go with the reflective triangles and flares. Flares only last 15 minutes, then you still have the triangles.

where do i buy road flares? thanks.